Students are introduced to Newton's third law of motion: For every action, …
Students are introduced to Newton's third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. They practice identifying action-reaction force pairs for a variety of real-world examples, and draw and explain simplified free-body diagram vectors (arrows) of force, velocity and acceleration for them. They also learn that engineers apply Newton's third law and an understanding of reaction forces when designing a wide range of creations, from rockets and aircraft to door knobs, rifles and medicine delivery systems. This lesson is the third in a series of three lessons intended to be taught prior to a culminating associated activity to complete the unit.
That heat flows from hot to cold is an unavoidable truth of …
That heat flows from hot to cold is an unavoidable truth of life. People have put a lot of effort into stopping this natural physical behavior, however all they have been able to do is slow the process. Student teams investigate the properties of insulators in their attempts to keep cups of water from freezing, and once frozen, to keep them from melting.
Students begin to explore the idea of a force. To further their …
Students begin to explore the idea of a force. To further their understanding of drag, gravity and weight, they conduct activities that model the behavior of parachutes and helicopters. An associated literacy activity engages the class to recreate the Wright brothers' first flight in the style of the "You Are There" television series.
As a part of the research and revise step of the Legacy …
As a part of the research and revise step of the Legacy Cycle, this lesson provides students with information they will need later on to be able to average pixels to simulate blurring in the peripheral plane of vision. Students learn why image color becomes important as we distort the outer boundaries of an image and have to interpolate pixels to fill in gaps created from our algorithm. Students learn what a digital image is, what pixels are, and how to convert between RGB and hexadecimal values.
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate how drag affects falling …
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate how drag affects falling objects. Students will make a variety of shapes out of paper and see how size and shape affects the speed with which their paper shapes fall.
Students learn about friction and drag two different forces that convert energy …
Students learn about friction and drag two different forces that convert energy of motion to heat. Both forces can act on a moving object and decrease its velocity. Students learn examples of friction and drag, and suggest ways to reduce the impact of these forces. The equation that governs common frictional forces is introduced, and during a hands-on activity, students experimentally measure a coefficient of friction.
In this activity, a three-part questionnaire launches students on discussions about where …
In this activity, a three-part questionnaire launches students on discussions about where objects in space are located, and when they formed. By physically manipulating images of objects in space, students represent their own mental models of space and time, which lays the foundation for thinking about the size and scale of the universe. This actvity can be used to assess students? understanding and introduce concepts before proceeding to other activities that follow this one. This activity is part of the "Cosmic Questions: Our Place in Space and Time" educators guide that developed to support the Cosmic Questions exhibit. This activity can be used in conjunction with, or independently of, the exhibit.
This online game allows players to choose any location on Earth and …
This online game allows players to choose any location on Earth and impact it with a variety of different sized asteroids and comets. They can see how big the blast radius will be, and determine what size object it would take to wipe out their town. It is part of the Killer Asteroids Web Site. The site also features a background overview of the differences between asteroids and comets, information on different types of asteroids (rubble piles vs monoliths), a discussion of how at risk Earth really is to an asteroid or comet impact, and background information on light curves.
With an introduction to the ideas of energy, students discuss specific types …
With an introduction to the ideas of energy, students discuss specific types of energy and the practical sources of energy. Hands-on activities help them identify types of energy in their surroundings and enhance their understanding of energy.
In our first episode of Crash Course Engineering, Shini explains what engineering …
In our first episode of Crash Course Engineering, Shini explains what engineering is, and gives a brief overview of its four main branches (civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical) as well as a look at some of the other fields of engineering.
This resource introduces the concept of wind chill, the formula used to …
This resource introduces the concept of wind chill, the formula used to measure it and relates it to the causes of hypothermia. A simple experiment using a pie pan, sand, fan and a thermometer demonstrates this concept. The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
In this laboratory activity, learners explore the difference between heat and temperature, …
In this laboratory activity, learners explore the difference between heat and temperature, and explore the rate of heat transfer from one substance to another as it depends on the density of the substances being investigated. The activity can be conducted either in a science lab or in a kitchen. It is one of two activities supporting the scientific investigation of the Interstellar Medium (ISM), and is linked to reading material, reading review questions and problems, a teacher answer sheet, and glossary.
With the help of simple, teacher-led demonstration activities, students learn the basic …
With the help of simple, teacher-led demonstration activities, students learn the basic physics of heat transfer by means of conduction, convection, and radiation. They also learn about examples of heating and cooling devices, from stove tops to car radiators, that they encounter everyday in their homes, schools, and modes of transportation. Since in our everyday lives there are many times that we want to prevent heat transfer, students also consider ways that conduction, convection, and radiation can be reduced or prevented from occurring.
Students measure the wavelength of sounds and learn basic vocabulary associated with …
Students measure the wavelength of sounds and learn basic vocabulary associated with waves. As a class, they brainstorm the difference between two tuning forks and the sounds they produce. Then they come up with a way to measure that difference. Using a pipe in a graduated cylinder filled with water, students measure the wavelength of various tuning forks by finding the height the pipe must be held at to produce the loudest note. After calculating the wavelength and comparing it to the pitch of each tuning fork, students discover the relationship between wavelength and pitch.
In this demonstration, students experience the Doppler effect for sound. Students can …
In this demonstration, students experience the Doppler effect for sound. Students can compute the frequency change for motion along the line of sight (LOS) and determine the vector LOS component for motions not exactly on it. A buzzer, battery, bicycle wheel, string and a rubber ball and a timer are needed for the demonstration. The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
When is an extremely simple personal calendar program, aimed at the Unix …
When is an extremely simple personal calendar program, aimed at the Unix geek who wants something minimalistic. It can keep track of things you need to do on particular dates.
In the first half of this two-part activity, students practice solving problems …
In the first half of this two-part activity, students practice solving problems involving refraction using the index of refraction and Snell's law equations; they mathematically solve for precise angles and speeds caused by refraction. In the second half of the activity, a hands-on lab, they apply the analytical skills required by the problem set to reflectance measurements of porous silicon thin films, including how reflectance measurements would change if various aspects of the film were altered. Students predict the data output in the form of reflectance measurements when samples are altered, which connects to the idea of being able to make predictions about the data output of a biosensing thin film that couples with a target molecule.
This activity lets students measure distances in the classroom using parallax. The …
This activity lets students measure distances in the classroom using parallax. The exercise can be done either at a high school level using trigonometric functions, or at a middle school level using simple arithmetic approximations to the trigonometric functions. A work sheet is provided for the middle-school-level activity.The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.
This is a unit in 6 sessions about the seasons on earth. …
This is a unit in 6 sessions about the seasons on earth. Learners will investigate the reason for seasons on earth. They will look at the circular orbit of earth, year-long temperature and daylight hours across different latitudes, compare models of the earth with and without tilt, investigate angle and intensity of sunlight, and ends with a discussion to solidify their understanding of the reason for seasons. It supports the process of modeling to determine an answer to a question. This is Unit 2 of the GEMS Space Science Sequence for Grades 6-8, which is available for purchase (see related link).
There are batteries powering so many parts of our everyday lives, so …
There are batteries powering so many parts of our everyday lives, so today we’re going to talk about how they work and how we can make them better. We’ll explain how they provide power by discharging ions between a cathode and an anode, and how reversing that process gives us a way of charging them. We’ll also look at how that batteries deliver voltage differently over time, leading to discharge curves, and some of the work being done to improve the properties of batteries for portable electronics.
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